Class: Insects
Size: 6 to 8mm
Weight: Variable
Age: Unknown
Appearance: Head: black; body: yellow-red
Food: Cruciferous plants, e.g. beetroot, mustard, rapeseed
Distribution: Europe, Asia to Korea, North and South Africa, North America
Original location: Unknown
Habitat: Fields, gardens, roadsides
Natural enemies: Ladybirds, hoverflies
Threatened with extinction: No

• Turnip sawflies are widespread and numerous in Central Europe. Especially in summer, they are the most common plant sawflies species in Germany. From May to October, adult sawflies can usually be seen on the flowers of the umbelliferae (Apiaceae) in gardens and green spaces.
• Turnip sawflies lay eggs in the young rape leaves in spring. After 6 to 10 days, the larvae hatch and feed on the leaves. There are usually three generations per year. The larvae of the third generation in autumn cause the greatest damage: They cause edge and hole feeding and later eat the leaves down to the leaf veins. This bare leaf feeding can lead to large yield losses.
• The host plants of turnip sawflies include turnips, rape, mustard as well as vegetables such as swede, Chinese cabbage or radish and cruciferous vegetables.